When an indie iOS game falls through the cracks, we pick it up for a segment we call Back in Black… we mean, Under The Radar. Here are our weekly picks for five unique iOS games you might not have heard about otherwise.

In this dark and hilarious spoof of The Oregon Trail, you have to lead a band of end-of-the-world survivors westward while avoiding herds of zombies. You’ll scavenge for food, trade with other survivors, and even have to put down members of your party if they become infected (and you thought dysentery was bad!). Like in Oregon Trail, a lot of what happens on the road is due to chance, but we still had a lot of fun reliving those early-90s computer classes in a macabre new setting.

OrigamiGore is what you get when you cross Smash TV with a Japanese game show. To prevent enemies from tearing down your defenses, you have to launch projectiles, like squids, at hordes of invading sumo wrestlers and walking sushi. Between levels, you can upgrade your towers to give yourself faster reload times and a stronger impact. The “gore” part of this game seems unnecessary, but we had a lot of fun collecting coins and building an arsenal.

The first Infinity Project was a decent first-person shooter with a few major limitations. This sequel aims to open up the series with additional customization and a more cinematic style. After a lengthy introduction, your space marine will grab an armored suit, several weapons, and then teleport back to 2012 to fight against an evil alien species called the Talons. From there, you can take missions and start exploring. The graphics and gameplay can be uneven, but if you think of this as a very low-budget version of Fallout 3 or System Shock 2, you might still enjoy Infinity Project 2’s ambitious attempt at storytelling.

Sunshine (not to be confused with the 2007 Danny Boyle sci-fi movie) is about the eternal struggle between the forces of light (photons) and darkness (black holes). You play as a photon who has to collect pieces of light by orbiting small planetoids. You can jump between orbits, but if you linger on a black hole, you’ll get squeezed into oblivion. Sunshine is fast-paced and fun, with a very cool visual style and upbeat soundtrack.

We don’t usually recommend Breakout clones, but Wizorb offers something pretty original. You play as a wizard who can transform himself into a ricocheting magical ball. Between rounds, you can visit with townsfolk, RPG-style. You can also activate magical spells while in combat, like fireballs or gusts of wind. For its 8-bit style and intriguing Final Fantasy-esque spin on a classic genre, we’re recommending giving Wizorb a try.

So many games come out for iOS on a regular basis that it can be difficult to keep track of them all, let alone review them. In this edition of Under the Radar, I highlight a handful of games from this summer that I enjoyed immensely. Whether it’s because of ingenuity in gameplay, or a great mix of old-school and new, these are games, in no particular order, that captured my attention over the last few months. (more…)

We regularly cover the big new iOS games, but there’s even more to the App Store. Every day, dozens of indie iOS games come out of the woodwork. Here are our picks for the best new games from small studios, which you might not have heard of yet.

It can be hard to find quality indie games on the App Store– not because there aren’t enough, but because there are too many. Instead of taking a chance based on a game’s App Store icon, description, and user reviews, try some of our suggestions this week for an alternative gaming experience. Even better– three of this week’s picks are free to download!

Big-name games tend to perform well in the App Store, because gamers often gravitate towards known commodities like After Burner Climax or Gun Bros 2. While we love to review popular brands, we’re also looking for the next big thing from the indie iOS development community. Here are our picks for the new indie iOS games that we think really shine.

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Industrial Toys has released it’s follow-up to the great Midnight Star. In Renegade, a much more casual game, the focus is on short bursts of play and the never-ending constant upgrading of weapons and gear. This game brings the great controls for a mobile FPS that the previous version had, but focuses less on the story and more on the frantic gameplay.

Heroes of Loot 2 is an update to the original that brings even more to love of the original. This time around the player chooses two player types to take into the dungeon, switching between them in the game as needed.

Heroes of Loot 2 is 50% off right now for launch.

After their job, of keeping the dungeons in balance, was done, our heroes needed a new job. Roaming the lands they found a call for heroes, a castle in need, possible even a damsel in distress?

Pick two heroes to take into the adventure, controlling both heroes and using their special skills to navigate the dangerous castle hallways, rooms and floors. Switching between the two characters to solve quests, puzzles, and of course clear the dungeons of all evil.

Human Resources Corporation, from some of the same fine folks that brought us World of Goo is a puzzle games that makes some of the basics of programming into a fun little exercise.

The premise is that the player is a new recruit in a corporation that need to tell other in game characters how to move and act by giving a set of program commands to complete tasks. It’s a great introduction to the logic used in programming and a fun little game with great personality. Which is expected considering the team that created this.

Temple Run 2 has done it again. Expanded into a whole new world with the Blazing Sands expansion. Available now in the game.

Touch Arcade notes:

It’s called “Blazing Sands,” and as you can see from the above trailer, you’ll be running through canyons along side raging rapids and Egyptian-y looking statues while marauding vines are smacking you in the face… Which really isn’t much of a surprise as vines in video games seem to be jerks almost 100% of the time. Of course there’s new stuff to unlock too between new outfits and Blazing Sands artifacts. If you collect ’em all, you’ll even get a swanky new hat.

From Martin Magni, the developer of the great Odd Bot Out, Mekorama hit the App Store this week. This charming puzzle game has the player guide a robot through a series of very unique 3D puzzles. The puzzles have shades of Monument Valley without the Escher inspired vibe.

One of the features that really sets this game apart from others is the integrated level editor. This lets players create their own levels and share them via a simple QR code integrated image. Take a look at the new levels shared on Twitter with the #Mekorama hashtag. I’ve even created one to test the path finding skills of that little robot.

Mekorama is free in the App Store with a pay what you want price model.

There have been a lot of games that have aped the style of Monument Valley, but not that have really gotten the idea and complexity of the game. That is until Evo Explores. Evo Explores really understand the game and does a great job of adding puzzle types to the original that it unashamedly takes inspiration from. It’s so good that members of the Monument Valley team have remarked how impressed they are.

But beside that, the game can stand on its own as well. It’s a great suspension of belief type puzzler with new and interesting mechanics and is just plain fun. The story that goes along is a little weak, but then again that’s just a small part of the game. Well worth a download.

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